The Vessel with the Pestle

Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Braised Borlotti Beans

2012-02-04T09:58:00.001+11:00

Mr R. and I made this last night and it kinda rocked. We got some fresh borlotti beans (a rarity in Australia) and I googled my go-to man in italian cooking - Stefano Manfredi - and away we went! The original recipe is for skate - but given my local fishmonger didn't know what cuttlefish was, I wasn't going to even try and source it.
It is completely gluten and lactose free, and something I'm sure my dietician won't get angry at me for eating :P
This recipe can be found in the original here

Grilled Salmon with Braised Borlotti Beans

4 salmon portions, small & skinless
2 cups fresh borlotti beans, shelled (or 2 x 400g tins)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 eschalots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
250 g roma tomatoes, diced
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges, to serve

If using fresh borlotti beans, place in pot with plenty of cold water. Bring to boil, cover with lid and lower heat to simmer 25-30 minutes until tender. Allow to cool in liquid.

In a pan, heat 4 tbsp of olive oil. Lightly fry eschalots and garlic until soft. Add chopped tomatoes, thyme and oregano. Add 2-3 pinches of salt, mix well and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

If using canned borlotti beans, drain and wash well. Otherwise, drain cooked beans. Add to simmering tomato mix. Mix well. Add parsley and simmer for 10 minutes. Check for salt. Add freshly ground pepper.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on a barbecue plate or large pan When hot, grill salmon for a few minutes each side, depending on thickness. Serve with braised borlotti beans and lemon wedges.

Recipe: Watermelon Salad with Olives, Feta and Cucumber

2012-02-03T13:02:00.001+11:00

This recipe was given to me by my dietician Susie Burrell who prefers low carb low maintenance types of cooking. I had it for lunch yesterday (along with tuna and corn thins) and it was great. The dressing doesn't look like much but you don't need extra because of the moisture in the olives and watermelon.
I gave this to Mr R. last night and he even said he could take this to work for lunch - that can't be right I think I'll have to get my hearing checked.
For the lactose freebies - you can get lactose free feta - I got an organic one from Whole Foods but also saw it in Coles.

Serves 4
- 4 cups watermelon, diced
- 12 black olives, pitted
- 100 g feta, crumbled or chopped
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced
Dressing
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Toss all ingredients
2. Eat

:)

Recipe: Chargrilled Cuttlefish Salad with Beans, Tomato and Pesto

2012-01-31T20:18:00.001+11:00

Sometimes Delicious Magazine publishes recipes that are easy to prepare, with ingredients that are easy to find, and not expensive. This is one - and Superman made it!
It was chosen for tonight's dinner as it is low carb and of course gluten and lactose friendly. I'm getting weighed in later in the week by my dietician Susie and I gotsta be svelte!
We used calamari - our local fishmonger looked at Superman blankly when he asked for cuttlefish. We also used Roma tomatoes that we roasted - fresh from one of my customer's farm : D
To learn how to clean squid, google it or look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fdPl777Ji0&feature=related

Recipe: Grilled Cuttlefish with Beans, Tomato and Pesto
Serves 4

400 g cuttlefish tubes, cleaned
1/4 cup (60 mL) EVOO
200 g green beans, trimmed
400 g can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup (65 g) good quality basil pesto
small basil leaves to serve

Cut cuttlefish tubes along one side and open out
Using sharp knife, lightly score the inside surface in fine criss-cross pattern
Place cuttlefish in a bowl; season and drizzle with 1 tbs of oil
Blanch green beans in boiling, salted water for 2 mins or until tender, then drain and refresh
Place in a bowl with the cannellini beans, onion and cherry tomatoes and then season
Char-grill the cuttlefish for 1 min either side until lightly charred and just cooked through
Halve, then place in a bowl and toss with pesto
To serve, arrange the bean salad on plates then top with cuttlefish and basil leaves

Recipe: Nigella's Quick Chilli

2012-01-30T20:42:00.002+11:00

This Chilli con Carne recipe rocks! I have made this so many times the page in the Nigella Express is badly stained. Nigella suggests serving this with coriander, sour cream and grated cheese. I serve it also with roasted tortilla chips.
NB: If you are making this as/for a gluten freester, the things you need to check the gf status of are the chorizo, pasta sauce and sweet chilli sauce.

http://ironchefshellie.com/2011/05/07/quick-chilli/

Oh, and believe Nigella when she says use a heavy based pan/pot, I winged it last time and ended up scrubbing the pot for about half an hour :S
This photo is from the blogger Iron Chef Shellie :)

Quick Chilli

150 g chorizo sausage (not the salami sort), halved lengthways and cut into 5mm half moons
500 g beef, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 cardamon pods, bruised
1 x 500g jar good quality tomato and chunky vegetable pasta sauce
1 x 390 g can mixed beans
60 mL sweet chilli sauce
¼ - ½ tsp chilli flakes

Put the sliced chorizo into a hot, heavy based pan and cook over a medium heat until the sausage crisps and gives up its orange-red oil
Add the mince and cook for ~ 5 mins, breaking it up with a wooden spoon to help it brown
Stir in the spices and then add the tomato-vegetable pasta sauce, beans, chilli sauce and flakes.
Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes
Eat with rice or just as it is - I add sour cream, coriander, grated cheese and tortilla chips.

2012-01-30T20:26:00.005+11:00

This is what the cake ended up looking like.. thanks Carly :D

2012-01-26T13:54:00.005+11:00

Practising cake decorations for Saturday..my friend is going to announce something to our uni gang...shh don't tell them

Add caption

Recipe: Cocoa Sponge Cakes

2012-01-26T13:22:00.000+11:00

This is a recipe I am going to try out soon, and I'll let you know how it goes.. it's from Rowie Dillon's Indulge which is an awesome gluten free cookbook. I like the look of this recipe because it doesn't just substitute gf flour for normal - which normally gives average results.

Cocoa Sponge Cakes

1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder (gf)
1 tsp baking powder (gf)
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup coffee, chilled
2 tsps vanilla extract (gf)
2 tsp white vinegar

Icing
125g dairy free margarine
1 1/4 cups icing sugar (gf)
1/2 tbs cocoa powder (gf)

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases
Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl
Combine the oil, coffee and vanilla in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients and stir well. add the vinegar and quickly stir to combine. Pour immediately into the paper cases
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until skewer inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin and turn out onto a wire rack for icing
To make the icing, beat the margarine and sugar in a small bowl with beater until well combined. add the cocoa powder and beat until well combined and the icing is smooth and thick. Using a palette knife (or metal spatula), spread the icing generously over the cakes

Recipe: Nigella's Party Popcorn

2012-01-08T22:05:00.003+11:00

The recent popcorn recipe that I posted I have grown frustrated with because despite the flavours being good, they never evenly disperse in the popcorn. Nigella to the Rescue! This recipe can be found on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmR9h5F6cQc

http://drizzleanddip.com/2010/05/24/nigellas-party-popcorn

Party Popcorn

2 tbs olive oil
200g popcorn kernels
4 tbs butter
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tsp sweet paprika
4 tsp salt, ground
4 tsp sugar

Heat oil in pan
Add popcorn to pan and immediately put a lid on. When popcorn begins to pop, shake pan.
When popping slows, take popcorn off heat and place aside.
While popcorn is popping, melt butter in a second pan, and add all spices to butter.
Before popcorn has cooled, pour butter mixture into pan and mix well.

Recipe: Teresa Cutter's Prawn Cocktail

2012-01-08T19:49:00.001+11:00

This recipe was created by Teresa Cutter (www.teresacutter.com.au) who is an organic, gluten free chef from Avalon on the Northern Beaches. I discovered her via my wonderful dietician Susie Burrell (http://www.susieburrell.com.au) .
I have made this a handful of times now, always when Superman is at work; there is no way he would eat it, what with it having coriander and mint in it. It is just awesome, so light, healthy and delicious. I make it as a salad, increasing the volume of lettuce and cucumber. I also grill corn to go in it to increase the carbohydrate and make it a meal.
This can be found in the original here: http://www.teresacutter.com/2011/11/my-prawn-cocktail/

Teresa Cutter's Prawn Cocktail
Serves 4

Ingredients:

400 g prawns, cooked and peeled
1 Lebanese cucumber sliced
125 g (1/2 punnet ) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons, mint chopped
2 tablespoons, coriander or Thai basil, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
juice from 2 limes
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
baby lettuce leaves

- mix together prawns, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, mint, coriander, lettuce and spring onions in a bowl
- whisk together lime juice, honey, gish sauce, garlic, ginger in a separate bowl
- mix contents of both bowls together. serve in bowls :)

Recipe: Gluten-free Jaffa Cake

2012-01-08T19:23:00.002+11:00

We all our have foodie strengths.

PhoodiePharmacist is always my first port of call when I need a restaurant recommendation. Or to know which brand of chocolate is gluten-free. I will always insist that Mr R pick out cheeses for a platter, and I would (and do) travel great distances for his Eggs Benedict. And I’m sure if I ever need to order the world’s most boring pizza, I can call Superman.

And I don’t think my esteemed compadres would argue with my declaration that I am something of a baking diva. In short, I love to bake. I love the smell of something baking wafting through the house, I love taking baked treats to work to share with my colleagues and I love nibbling on a piece of home-baked cake – the secret ingredient is love, surely? In times of great stress, some people turn to meditation or yoga. I switch on the oven and drag out a favourite recipe.

This recipe is a new favourite because it has such a spectacular result for so little effort. It’s a luscious, rich chocolate cake with a delicious hit of orange. It’s an old Nigella Lawson recipe and receives bonus points because it is gluten and lactose free (because, according to Mr R, that makes it healthy). If you’re a baking diva like me, this is definitely one to try.

Gluten-free jaffa cake

Ingredients

2 small thin-skinned oranges (about 400g total weight)

6 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

200 g almond meal

250 g caster sugar

50 g cocoa

Directions

Put the whole orange/oranges in a saucepan with some cold water. Bring to the boil, cooking for 1 ½ hours or until skin is soft.

Drain and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and butter and line a 20cm springform tin.

Cut the cooled oranges in half and remove any big pips. Cut each orange into about eight pieces. Put the pieces in the food processor and pulp.

Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, almonds, sugar, cocoa and eggs to the food processor and process until you have a cohesive batter. Pour into the prepared cake tin.

Bake the cake for 50mins – check after 45 but it could need as much as an hour. It varies from oven to oven.

Leave the cake to get cool for half an hour, then turn out onto a cooling rack

If you don’t have any lactose-free requirements, top with a dark chocolate ganache and serve with double cream (it’s worth the extra calories).

Clementine xx

Meat and Cheese Only Part 1: The Rage Introduced (a.k.a. How To Order A Pizza)

2011-12-31T17:03:00.006+11:00

Superman says:

As a man of habit I stick to things I like and know and stick to the mantra “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. My intention with this blog is simple – I am fighting the good fight of people who would like a plate of food without the bullshit. Don’t feed me vegetables with a side of steak. If I order Mongolian Lamb I didn't order a plate of fucking onions and capsicums - stop cost-saving and give me my lamb! A pizza doesn’t come with eighteen toppings – have you been to Italy? A burger should not contain a pickle, nor should it contain cheap tomato sauce (unless at Oporto, in which case give me extra kthnxby). In case you haven’t worked out the theme yet, meat and cheese only derives from a simple ordering technique that one needs to employ to alleviate the mess that finds its way onto my plate – tell them to hold the shit and put only the good stuff in.

This isn’t without flaw. The good fight against the foods one doesn’t like is certainly not without incident. In high school I went into a McDonalds and ordered a burger “meat and cheese only” (a.k.a. The Burger known in a very non-P.C. way as being somewhat irregular, deviate or unusual). Sidebar: censorship on my first post! Oh no! ... Because such a simple concept is too creative for the employees, I ended up getting a bun with nothing on it. McDonalds 1 Superman 0.

Also, ordering pizza can be a struggle. When asking for “meat and cheese only” (or in pizza’s case: “ham and cheese only”), this concept can be too non-conformist for knob employees. When met with that 10 second heavy-breathing silence as their brains try to process the order that is clearly not explicitly on the menu, you must do the heavy lifting for them:

- Option A (works 33.33% of the time): Margherita plus Ham. Tell the half stoned, 12 year old employee that they need to bill you for a margherita pizza with the additional cost of the added ham. It can also be polite to call them a moron at the end of such an explanation.

- Option B (works 66.67% of the time): Hawaiian minus Pineapple. Now I don’t know what Hawaiians have to do with a traditional pizza menu, but OK, I’ll roll with the punches. Pineapple on a pizza? I’d rather a turd sandwich. Anyway, telling the employee that you will pay the normal Hawaiian cost, despite the missing ingredient is a MUST. I can’t begin to tell you how many times their pea-sized heads shrivel into obscurity trying to deconstruct the pizza costs to work out the individual costs of toppings trying to work out how much the Pineapple is worth on a pizza. In my mind, fiscally speaking, the true cost of Pineapple on a slice of pizza is a slap in the fucking head. Next you will be putting all the other ‘juices’ on a pizza: oranges, apples, mangoes. What the fuck? Give me my ham and cheese. And hold the spit when you make it. I don’t like the taste of your disdain.

Now that you get the idea of the eternal fight, my next posts will revel in the ingredients I don’t like. As a preview, it is internationally agreeable that coriander is Satan.

Superman out. The fight against bullshit food continues. We will prevail.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Sopra (Fratelli Fresh)

2011-12-31T16:37:00.001+11:00

It's about time I wrote this review; Superman and I have been going to this restaurant at least once a week for about a year now. My biggest regret is that the one time I came here before the coeliac diagnosis, I got risotto instead of pasta. Every time we go, SM gets the best looking pasta dishes known to man, and I get salad.

Please note to find it - walk through the Fratelli Fresh store, and go up the stairs to the left, past the cooking school section and up more stairs. Anyway..back to the review...
Service: the staff here are consistently friendly and helpful, and many remember my gf/df status and tell me off the bat if I can order the specials of the day. I have heard the service unfortunately isn't as good at other branches of Sopra, but I have never had a problem here.
The other thing worth mentioning is this place is brunch/lunch only, and doesn't take reservations. So either turn up for lunch no later than 12:30 or expect to wait ~ 10 minutes for a table. Mr R. "doesn't do lines" so I don't bother trying to go here with him. But you can order coffee or wine in the line so I'm happy.
Food: SM has covered the pasta section of the menu 10 times over, and recommends anything with the word ragù, bolognese or duck in it.
Salad wise, depending on what season it is the best ones are
- Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Pancetta and Poached Egg
- Bresaola salad with Gala apples and aged Balsamic Vinegar

- Witlof salad with hazelnuts, gorgonzola, pear and pomegranate
- pickled beetroot with soft boiled egg, pancetta, gorgonzola and rosemary
and as a side, the cabbage with reggiano and balsamic is great.
Dishes we dont like: smoked trout salad, and spaghetti carbonara
Desserts are always great, but rarely gluten and dairy free, but the sgroppino is good, as is the meringue, the baked rhubarb, and i'm told the tiramisù.
Ambience: as you can see from the photo, it is on the top level of a warehouse which is pretty cool, but not a formal atmosphere.
Who to take: parents who don't know why you live in Surry Hills instead of the North Shore, Eastern Suburbians slumming it west of Anzac Pde, your beau of the moment for lunch the morning after the night before, groups of friends who like getting boozed on good italian wine, reluctant boyfriends who don't understand how you spend so much money on produce.
Who not to take: grumpy children - their crying echoes, people who don't do lines, people with limited mobility - no disabled access.

Restaurant Review: Muum Maam

2011-12-31T16:34:00.001+11:00

Finally, a thai restaurant with a gluten free menu (that I trust)!
Mr R. and I found this recently after an extensive search of the gluten free friendly asian eateries on offer in the Surry Hills area. As any coeliac (or close friend of) will know, finding an asian restaurant that you can rely on to use clean pans, not use any soy sauce or wheaten corn flour in their "gluten free" offerings are few and far in between. On this note, if anyone knows of another Chinese restaurant in Sydney apart from Fu Manchu that has a gluten free menu plese let me know!

I have been to Muum Maam 5 times now, and each time I have found the majority of specials to be gluten free (and tasty) and plenty of options on the gf menu (see http://www.muummaam.com.au.php5-16.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/menu/vegetarian-and-gluten-free/ )
Superman and Mr R. have also found great non-GF options there too.

I highly recommend the poached chicken salad, however Superman finds it "too herby" for his tastes (some of his other comments about food like this include - "what is this f*ing coriander doing in this dish?" "why can't you just cook food normally without f*ing it up with all this herb sh*"
Did I mention that Superman is king of the bullsh* ordering? His order at McDonald's is "double cheeseburger, meat and cheese only (none of that sauce sh*, it ruins it)", Domino's "Hawaiian, no pineapple aka. ham and cheese, hold the spit".

Anyway, back to Muum Maam. Other good choices on the menu include the satay chicken sticks (if coeliac, ask for it to be cooked on a pan, they normally cook on a grill that is also used for soy marinades). I also enjoyed the various curries and the pad thai.

Recipe: Lasagne al Forno

2011-12-31T16:16:00.000+11:00

I cooked this last night - it was kinda awesome! I have, however, altered the original recipe if only because the ~~pedant~~ pharmacist (and italophile) in me doesn't agree with some of the mise-en-place. At the bottom of the recipe, I have written how I made the recipe more lactose free. It is gluten free if you use gf pasta sheets.
The original can be found here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/simple-baked-lasagne

Lasagne al forno

100 g pancetta or speck, sliced/diced (depending on how you buy it)
a pinch of cinnamon
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, cubed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 handfuls of fresh herbs (sage, oregano, rosemary, thyme) - chopped roughly
olive oil
400g veal mince
200g pork mince
2 x 400g tins of diced italian tomatoes
400 mL (1/2 a bottle) red wine
2 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g fresh lasagne sheets (or gf ones if required)
400g mozzarella, torn up

for the white sauce
• 1 x 500ml tub of crème fraîche
• 3 anchovies, finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
optional: a little milk

for lactose free white sauce option

1 x 250g tub of soy sour cream
1 cup lactose free thickened cream
3 anchovies, finely chopped
2 handfuls of parmesan, grated

Method

In a large pot or pan slowly fry the pancetta and cinnamon until golden, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs and about 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the veal and pork mince. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes and the wine or water.
Add the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Then get some greaseproof paper, wet it and place it on top of the pan with a lid placed on top. Simmer on a low heat for ~1.5 hrs.
When the sauce is sufficiently reduced, season to taste and put aside.
Mix together your crème fraîche, anchovies, and a handful of Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper. You may need to loosen the mixture with a little milk.
Turn the oven to 200ºC. To assemble the lasagne, rub an earthenware lasagne dish with olive oil, lay some sheets of lasagne over the bottom and drape them up the sides of the dish.
Add a layer of meat, a little white sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of pasta covered in white sauce. Tear the mozzarella and sprinkle with some extra Parmesan. Cook in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes until golden.

What the F* is a Soffritto?

2011-12-31T16:11:00.002+11:00

http://proximalkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/08/carbo-loading-tagliatelle-alla.html

This is an essential piece of knowledge for any self respecting foodie/cook - Clementine and I had an ~~argument~~ heated discussion about it this morning over breakfast, including RE its spelling.
I was perplexed as to why it wasn't a part of the lasagne recipe I recently used (can be found HERE)

AKA: mirepoix (french), refogado (portugese), sofrito (spanish)

A soffritto is the flavour base of many sauces, soups and stews e.g. bolognese sauces, minestrone; it normally consists of celery, carrot and onion. The vegetables are diced (all the same size) and sautéed with olive oil and/or butter.
The italian version can also include garlic and in some recipes the onion is swapped out for leeks or shallots.

Recipe: Milk Chocolate Rocky Road

2011-12-18T15:17:00.000+11:00

This is the other rocky road that I'm going to make for Christmas. I always buy Rowie's Cakes' gluten free, dairy free Rocky Road from the supermarket for morning tea at work, so thought I'd make the one from Rowie's cookbook! (Indulgence, by Rowie Dillon)
I have made it dairy free by using Sweet William dairy free chocolate (health food aisle).

Not So Nutty Rocky Road
Makes 18 - 20 pieces

2 cups marshmallows, roughly chopped
30 g puffed rice (make sure gf - had to go to organic grocer to get one that was uncontaminated)
70 g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
50 g sultanas
50 g fresh or frozen raspberries or cranberries
375 g dark chocolate, chopped

Line a tray with baking paper
Combine the marshmallows, puffed rice, hazelnuts, sultanas and berries in a large bowl
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth
Pour the chocolate onto the marshmallow mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon onto the tray and allow to set. Beak into random pieces and serve.

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-18T14:54:00.001+11:00

Recipe: White Chocolate Rocky Road

2011-12-18T13:16:00.003+11:00

Mum's Christmas Cake doesn't turn out very well gf, so I'm making 2 types of rocky road. This can be found in the original at http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/18595/gourmet+rocky+road

White Rocky Road

375g white chocolate melts (I use dairy free white chocolate - Sweet William can be found in health food aisle)
1/2 cup pistachio kernels, toasted
2/3 cup shredded coconut (make sure no gluten contamination)
2 2/3 cups marshmallows (gluten free)
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Line base and sides of a 4cm-deep, 27cm x 17cm (base) slice pan with foil, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends. Place chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until smooth and melted.
Combine pistachios, coconut, marshmallows and cranberries in a large bowl. Pour over chocolate. Stir to coat.
Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Turn out onto a chopping board. Remove foil. Cut into 24 pieces

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw

2011-12-18T12:43:00.003+11:00

This is another addition to my Christmas lunch because I just recently got this book for my birthday.. Thanks Mr R.! Indulge by Rowie Dillon - completely gluten free cook book.
Superman is going to have to shred the cabbage, last time I was let loose with the cutter I sliced off part of my thumb :p

Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw
Serves 4

250 g red cabbage, finely shredded
250 g green cabbage, finely shredded
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 white onion, grated

Dressing
1/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise (S&W is gf)
1 tbs Dijon mustard (Masterfoods is gf)
2 tsps apple cider vinegar
1 tbs caster sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine cabbages, carrot and onion in a large bowl.
For the dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar and peppers.
Add dressing to the slaw and toss. Cover and leave in fridge for at least 2 hours to allow flavours to develop. Toss slaw again before serving.

Enjoy

Recipe: Flavoured Popcorn

2011-12-18T12:30:00.000+11:00

I'm bringing this (among other things) to the family Christmas party because catering for multiple coeliacs in one family still doesn't come easily to those who don't have to cook for us much!

This can be found in the original at http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19200/barbecue+flavoured+popcorn

It makes 8 cups.

Ingredients

2 tsps sweet paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp onion salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popping corn

Method

Combine paprika, oregano, thyme, onion salt and half the oil in a bowl.
Heat remaining oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of popping corn. Oil is hot enough when corn turns slowly in a circle.
Add remaining corn. Cover pan tightly. Shake pan when corn starts popping. Remove from heat when corn stops popping. Transfer popcorn to a bowl. Discard unpopped corn. Add paprika mixture. Toss to combine. Cool. Place popcorn in snap-lock bags for lunchboxes.

Notes

Variation: For an 'adult' popcorn snack, replace paprika, oregano, thyme and onion salt with 1 tablespoon Moroccan seasoning.

PhoodiePharmacist xx

Recipe: Potato Bake

2011-12-12T20:40:00.000+11:00

This is Superman's Mum's Christmas Potato Bake recipe that is the best ever - it makes christmas lunch. It is not lactose free, but gf and so so good. Enjoy!

Potato Bake

Ingredients:

~ 7 desiree potatoes (allow 1 potato each person)
½ red onion (sliced thinly)
2 tomatoes (sliced thinly)
~ 2 cups pouring cream
~ 1 cup grated cheese – any cheese you like: mozzarella, tasty
Chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Method:

Have a baking dish (about ½ size of normal baking dish) rubbed with butter ready.
Slice potatoes thinly (~t ½ cm) & Place over base of dish.
Add a few slices of onion (say 3 or 4) over top of potatoes, then add a few slices of tomato over top
Season with salt and pepper
Repeat steps 2-4 till all potatoes are used or you have reached top of dish
Pour cream over top of potato dish, and sprinkle cheese and parsley
Cover with alfoil (with a few little cuts with a knife to let some of the steam out)
Place in oven around 180 deg – convection oven or 160 fan forced
Cook for about 1 hr or until potatoes are softening.
Remove alfoil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to turn the cheese/potatoes brown on the top and a lot of the cream has been soaked into the potatoes.

2011-12-10T08:56:00.001+11:00

Recipe: Meatballs & Zucchini Pasta

2011-12-09T17:52:00.000+11:00

This recipe is a favourite of mine from Teresa Cutter (aka The Healthy Chef). I like it because 1. Superman will eat it 2. it's gf and low carb 3. it's tasty and filling. For once I don't have to feel guilty about eating pasta!

The original can be found on Teresa's website here. She also has instructions for making the tomato sauce, and making it vegetarian. Well worth a look!

Meatballs and Zucchini Pasta

Serves 6 (I freeze the meatballs, they reheat well)

500 g beef mince (organic, lean, grass fed)
125 g ricotta (deli-style, firm, drained)
200 g baby spinach (Teresa suggests cooking it quickly beforehand, I dont bother)
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 egg (organic, free range)
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups passata w/basil or simple pasta sauce such as Barilla Napoletana
parsley and parmesan to top

Combine beef, ricotta, spinach, ½ cup parsley, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Shape into large balls and coat in a little olive oil then place in a deep tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Bake meatballs for 10 minutes, then add napolitana half way up the pan. bake for a further 20 minutes until sauce is bubbling.
Serve sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley a little grated parmesan and zucchini spaghetti.

zucchini spaghetti:

½ to 1 leek - sliced thinly
1 ½ to 2 zucchini per person, cut into spaghetti on a mandolin or similar
black pepper
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Cook the leek in a pan over medium heat with some olive oil
2. add the zucchini and toss through for a few seconds until warm
3. season with lemon juice and black pepper
4. divide between bowls and top with the meatballs

Recipe: Mirin Glazed Salmon

2011-12-07T17:11:00.003+11:00

While we are on the subject of things Superman and I cooked when we had just moved out of home, here is another Nigella dish that we cooked when we had important company (read parents) and would splash out and buy salmon. It is from Nigella Express, and can also be found online here:

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/mirin-glazed-salmon-21

Mirin Glazed Salmon

serves 4 as a main

60 mL mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
50g light brown sugar
60 mL soy sauce
4 x 125g pieces salmon, cut from the thick part of the fillet so that they are narrow but tall rather than wide and flat
2 x 15ml tbs rice vinegar
1-2 spring onions, halved and shredded into fine strips

Method

Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish; marinate the salmon in mixture for 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second. Meanwhile heat a large non-stick frying pan.
Cook the salmon in the hot, dry pan for 2 minutes and then turn the salmon over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes.
Remove the salmon, add the rice vinegar to the hot pan, and warm through.
Pour the dark, sweet, salty glaze over the salmon and top with the spring onion strips.
Serve with rice.

We often served this with stir fried bean sprouts and bok choy with soy sauce and rice vinegar - I'm sure you can be more creative than the novice cooks that we were!

Phoodie Pharmacist xx

Recipe: Lamb Tagine with chickpeas and sultanas

2011-12-07T16:58:00.002+11:00

I saw Jeff Campbell cook this on Ready Steady Cook back in my Arts degree days when I watched a lot of daytime TV, still lived at home, and couldn't cook to save my life :P

This was one of the first dishes I mastered when I moved out of home, because most of the ingredients could be found in the pantry.

This for Greta, who always requested I cook it for her when we lived in the same apartment block back in the day :)

NB: If you can't find ground fennel, I use a mortar and pestle to grind the seeds - it is messy though.

Lamb Tagine with chickpeas and sultanas

1 tsp each of ground fennel, coriander and cumin
1 lamb backstrap, cubed ~ 1.5cm
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely grated ginger
½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
¼ cup sultanas
½ cup chicken stock (Massel's is gf)
1 cup tomato passata
¼ cup coriander leaves
Greek style yoghurt, to serve

Combine fennel, coriander and cumin in a bowl, add lamb and toss to coat. Shake off excess.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, cook garlic, ginger and lamb for 2-3
minutes or until lamb is sealed.
Add chickpeas, sultanas, stock and passata and cook for a further 10 minutes or until lamb is tender.
Add coriander and remove from heat
Serve Tagine topped with yoghurt.

Pre-gluten free, low carb days, I served this also with toasted, oiled bread such as focaccia to mop up the sauce. Traditionally, I supposed cous cous should be the accompaniment - gluten freebies could use quinoa.